Not Anymore
by Veiled Moon
Summary: After the war, the Trio and Draco are back for their 8th year to make up for lost learning. Draco and Hermione end up together halfway through the year despite the odds, but now Draco suspects something's wrong. Is the Golden Gryffindor cheating on him?


_A/N: After the war, the trio and Draco have mended, and it is late spring. Draco and Hermione have been a couple since about halfway through their 8th year (taken to make up for their rather nonexistent 7th year), but something is not quite right in their relationship. _

* * *

Draco Malfoy stared at the scene through ajar door, into the dark classroom before him, his silvery eyes cold and indifferent. If someone who truly knew Draco had seen him, that person would have recognized the pain in his eyes, and observed the anger in the slight twitching of his left eye, in his otherwise stoic face. The person would then yearn to comfort him. The person who comforted him through most of 8th year used to be Hermione Granger. Not anymore.

She was kissing _him_ lightly. The brunette's fingers were around the redhead's neck, and then she pushed him away.

"Ron, you know I can't. You know I like Draco," said Hermione, her hand holding his gently. "I'm sorry, Ron."

The Weasel chuckled. "Oh, Hermione. You may _like_ him, but you _love_ me. You bloody well know that, and Harry does to. He only tolerates _that_ for the sake of friendship."

"Ron," she murmured, reaching up for another kiss.

With that, Draco recomposed his face into his Head boy expression one of shock and disgust, and pushed the door open.

"20 points from Gryffindor each. 7th years should know by now that nobody is allowed past curfew," he said in his professional Head boy sneer, and walked away.

He took slight satisfaction in the fact that he had seen her face, the expression of utter shock, guilt, and regret. She had seen his pain. Good. _She _deserved it; they had made a mutual promise on never cheating and being truthful at the beginning of their fragile relationship. She was one of the few who recognized the small things; the others being his parents, Snape, and possibly Potter. They had been through thick and thin. Or so he thought.

Draco had come to a truce with Harry, and he could even say they were even on their way to becoming close friends. Oh, how wrong Weasel was on Harry's 'tolerance'.

One could say Draco Malfoy was being harsh. It was only the _first time_, and she had _rejected_ the git.

If only that was true. It had been 2 months and a week. _2 bloody months and a week. _Still, she was with the Carrotbrain. Even _Harry Potter_ had noticed their secret activities. Actually, it was Potter who had first approached him and told him. He had taken the news with the grace of a Malfoy.

_He was on his way back to his Head boy's room after his patrol with Padma, when suddenly something grabbed him and pulled him to the side. Instinctively, he pointed his wand at the person._

_"__Potter." His left eye twitched slightly._

_"Malfoy." The arse casted a Muffliato on their surroundings, and some other privacy spells, before turning back to him and patiently waiting for the explosion._

_"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL, POTTER?" he screeched, his grey eyes slitting._

_Potter winced. "Draco, I'm sorry for doing this right now, but I have to tell you something."_

_"Potter, if you wanted to declare your undying love for me, you should have done it three months and two days ago, before Hermione and I started our relationship. And sorry, I don't swing that way," said Draco patiently, rolling his eyes._

_The Boy-Who-Lived snorted. "As if, Malfoy. You know I'm with Ginny." _

_Draco sent him the famous Malfoy smirk._

_Harry gnawed on his lip nervously. "I don't know how to say this, Draco, but..." With that, he pulled out a map, and pointed at two dots. They were located on the 7th floor, in a classroom near the Head dorms. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger._

_The blond's lips settled into a thin line. "What about it?"_

_"I'm sorry, Draco. I don't know what's wrong with them. Ron knows you two are together, and he said he was over Hermione ages ago. And Hermione, well, it must be all the stress. Draco, I'm sorry, but they've been doing this for the past week."_

_"Doing what?" said the pale man coldly._

_"Kissing, but never beyond that. Malfoy, if you need me, I'm here for you. Although I'll admit we're not close," the green-eyed man said hesitantly, "I know how you feel. Back then, I realized my feelings around the time Ginny was dating Dean, and it hurt."_

_He nodded sharply. "Two months. We'll give them two months."_

_Harry handed him the map quietly. "'I solemnly swear I am up to no good' shows the map, and 'mischief managed' makes everything disappear."_

_"Does Weaselette know of them?"_

_"If they don't end this, she will. She thinks you're good for Hermione. I don't fancy the double fury of Weasley women on me. Poor Ron," said the Gryffindor, shuddering slightly at the mental image._

_"Potter, if someone had told me two years ago we would become good friends, I would have hexed them to hell. I've changed. She brought me back to life. If she's going to let me fall again, I need to be prepared. I need to stop being dependent on her."_

_"I believed you when you said you would do anything for her, and I know you will. Just be kind to her if you 'discover' them in two months, please," said Pothead sincerely, his green eyes meeting Draco's grey ones._

_A look of understanding passed between them. Then the spells were lifted, and the men went their separate ways._

Two months had passed. He had seen the concerned looks Potter shot him in the Hall today. He knew. The redheaded woman beside him looked suspicious. She suspected.

Now, _Granger_ and _Mr. Girlfriend Stealer_ knew. Speaking of which, the woman he thought he knew was thundering after him.

"Draco! I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. The kiss meant nothing," she panted as she caught up to his long strides.

He looked ahead, ignoring her. She grabbed his hand, and pulled him to a stop.

"Draco, stop! Listen to me, please!" she said, and reached up to hold his face, to make him look into her eyes.

Once upon a time, Draco Malfoy would have slapped her hand away and called her a Mudblood.

Once upon a time, Draco Malfoy would have slapped her and used her own words as barbs against her, and hexed Weasley.

He would have cried, screamed, lost control, and possibly even forced himself onto her.

He would have given her the silent treatment and sulked.

But he was a changed man. It was ironic that the person who saved him would be the one that betrayed him in the end. He still had a hard time believing it. However, he had changed, and he would listen.

"Yes?" he inquired, his angelic features a mask of perfection.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again. This was the first and only time I cheated on you, and it will be the last," Hermione said, her face full of sorrow. Her hands dropped from his face, and she looked down guiltily.

He sighed, and a hand caressed her cheek. "Oh, Hermione. The things women can do to men. Tell me, are you happy with him?"

She looked startled at his question. "What? Of course, he's one of my best friends, like Harry! You know I wouldn't cheat on you. You're my boyfriend, Draco."

"Even if everyone knew I made you mine, would you love Ron?" he purred seductively, his other hand playing with a loose curl.

"Of course!" the witch said, flushing prettily, her words slipping out of her lips carelessly.

"Even if they knew I had taken your virginity? And the fact that I had taken you roughly, with you screaming my name?"

"Anything for you, Draco. Anything."

The hand playing with the curl dropped down to where his other hand was, and he held her face in his palms, before letting go.

"I believe you, Hermione."

She smiled through her tears at him, her hand sliding down shyly towards his pants. "I knew you would, Draco. Can we...?"

He heard a barely audible small gasp from Weasley, who was lurking around the corner of the hallway. He stared at the woman in his arms. Merlin, did she really expect make-up sex after being accused of cheating, and in front of the redhead? She had changed. Was he the person who had corrupted her?

"I believe you lie."

Her face paled, then twisted into rage, snatching her hand off his torso. She pushed his hands off of her face. "How dare you, Draco Malfoy! Accusing me of cheating!"

A delicate blond eyebrow rose. "I'm not accusing you of cheating. I know you have, for the past two months and a week." He drew a piece of parchment familiar to Hermione Granger out of his robes.

She turned white. "I l-l-love you Draco! What's Harry's map doing in your hands?"

He gazed sorrowfully at his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend, and sighed. "You can't even say you love me without stuttering."

She spluttered wordlessly, her face a mask of horror and fear.

He smiled genuinely at Hermione. "It's okay, I understand if he makes you happy. Promise me that you'll always be happy."

Looking towards the corner of the hallway, he called, "Weasley, you better make her happy. If you truly loved her, you would do anything for her." He paused. "You two have brilliant acting skills, by the way."

He turned and headed to the Head quarters he shared with Padma. He knew this was the kindest, yet cruelest, way to break-up with her. It was funny how kindness would hurt her the most. Draco knew she was still frozen in shock, with tears silently flowing down her cheek. He would have wiped them away before.

No, not anymore.

Not anymore.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you for reading, and please no flaming! Constructive criticism would be nice. This is my first one-shot, and I'm slowly returning to writing fanfics. I shall update my Snape/OC story ASAP._

_This is a one-shot, unless people seem to enjoy it and want Ron being attacked by two Weasley women, as well as a definite conclusion. Until then, it shall be ambiguous, and it's up to you, my dear reader, to decide whether if Draco forgives her, if Ron still wants her, and if she will be stubborn and chase after Draco. _

_Veiled Moon._


End file.
